Sebastian slunk back into the Mustang, and Alexander silently escorted me to my front steps.
“I’m sure he—” I began, but Alexander wasn’t listening. Instead, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. I opened the front door and reluctantly entered my house. I heard the sound of a car door slamming and a
Mustang peeling away from the curb.
I struggled as usual to sleep. The only time I’d seen Alexander this upset was when we went to the SnowBall last winter and Trevor told him the only reason I liked him was that I thought he was a vampire. Instead of hanging out in bed, I sat on my desk and stared out my window.
I hoped I’d find Alexander resting against our tree or sitting on the swings. All I saw was a lonely maple and an empty swing set.
I replayed Sebastian’s obsession with Becky over in my mind. I imagined what would happen if Alexander and I were placed in a similar position.
Alexander was chasing me through the tombstones. The grass was wet with fresh rain, and the air filled with a gentle mist. I dodged a grave marker and then jumped over another as Alexander drew close. Fatigued yet exhilarated, I sprang over a third headstone. It caught the heel of my Mary Janes, I lost my balance, and I tumbled to the ground with a thud.
I felt a little stupefied. I sat up to find a sharp pain emanating from my right arm.
Alexander leaped to my aide. I raised my elbow. He held it softly.
“Is it broken?”
“Just bruised.”
He blew off the dirt and gently picked the wet blades of grass from my skin and examined it closely. A large gash, the size of a pencil, raced up my forearm. We both watched as blood began to fill the slender wound.
“We are on sacred ground,” I said, raising my wound toward his mouth.
Two fangs pierced through the break in his lips. He tried to cover them with the back of his hand.
“You need me as much as I need you,” I said, pulling his hand away. “It’s okay. You don’t have to fight it anymore. You don’t have to be strong.”
I could see in his eyes that Alexander struggled, wondering what it would be like to finally taste my blood, as
Sebastian had tasted Becky’s.
“I’d still have to bite you. To turn you, like me.”
“Perhaps it’s time. We’d finally be together. Like I’ve always wanted. I’ve always needed you, Alexander.”
“I need you too, Raven.”
He took my arm and drew it up to his mouth. He closed his eyes, and I watched as he licked his lips and opened his mouth.
Suddenly, Nightmare jumped in front of the window and I was so startled, I was lucky I didn’t fall off my desk and really bust my arm.
I wanted the reassurance that Alexander needed me just as much as I needed him. That he craved me, as
Sebastian craved Becky. But I knew Alexander wasn’t about to make that decision lightly. And did I want it, after all? I’d put so much of my thought into this magical and darkened world when right before me I was seeing vampires struggle with their lifestyle, as I struggled with mine.
At this point, I could only imagine Alexander biting me and taking me into his world. The fantasy of it thrilled me. I could only hope the reality, should it ever show itself, would be as good.
8
Friend and Feuds
The hours ticked away painfully slowly during school. I was tormented as Becky raved incessantly about our previous evening at Hooligans. She went on about how she and Matt had a blast hanging out with the three of us, how we all could be “best buds,” and what a shame it was Sebastian was going to leave. She had no idea the evening had ended with a nightmare—one caused by Sebastian. I was in a fog all day. I couldn’t get my mind off of Alexander and Sebastian’s falling-out. Did they make amends? Had Sebastian left Dullsville? I begged for the sun to set as fast as it could, but it seemed to toy with me as it hung over the trees. When it lowered below the rooftops, I jumped on my bike and took off. I had no idea what I might find when I reached the
Mansion.
The Mustang was still in the driveway, but the front door of the Mansion was open.
“Jameson? Alexander?” I called. But no one answered.
The house was eerily quiet.
I scaled the main staircase and passed a half dozen rooms until I came to Sebastian’s.
I tapped the door and it squeaked open.
The room was spotless. There were no signs that Alexander’s best friend had even visited the Mansion. No coffin. No iPod, boxer shorts, or wallet. Not even a trace of Romanian dirt remained.
I felt as hollow as the empty room.
I ran throughout the Mansion. “Alexander!”
No response.
“Jameson?” I called.
The Creepy Man was nowhere in sight.
I entered the kitchen and found Alexander’s best friend sitting alone at a rustic dinette, staring vapidly at a tiny plastic sword in his hand. His hair was unkempt, his eyelids droopy.
I stood for a moment. Sebastian wasn’t talking. He didn’t even acknowledge my presence.
I approached him tentatively.
“I’m sorry you’re leaving,” I finally said. “Apart from the fact that you want to break up my best friend and her boyfriend, we actually got along pretty well.”
“Are you really?” he asked, gazing up at me.
“Sure. You brought light to the Mansion—literally,” I teased.
But Sebastian didn’t even smirk.
“Raven—what have I done? How could I have been so reckless—so selfish? A girl should never come between friends. I’m sorry things didn’t turn out better than this.”
“Alexander’s still mad at you? I was hoping—”